Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company - Candi

Pouring a bright golden-copper color capped by a light beige cap of foam, this World Beer Cup Gold medal winning Belgian-style tripel opens up with quite a bold aroma. The first thing we noticed is the prominent Belgian yeast character with its phenolic, spicy, herbal, clove-like notes and a bit of banana ester, which merge nicely into the spicy and grassy noble hops. A light caramel underpinning is joined by some notes of stone fruit, leading to a complex and inviting overall aroma. On the palate, look for a big fruity character, with tart and juicy pear notes amidst those spicy and herbal tones apparent in the aroma. We picked up a touch of sweetness upfront that gets easily countered by the tartness, moderate hop bitterness, and a hint of spicy alcohol, which is actually deftly hidden for being 10% ABV. The name Candi is a nod to the use of Belgian candi sugar in the brewing process – a technique common among Belgian ale styles. The sugar essentially serves as pure yeast fuel, getting fermented entirely into alcohol which ups the ABV while lightening the body of what would otherwise be a pretty hefty brew. For pairing options, cheeses are among your best bets as the beer can play off of the different flavors in various cheeses while cutting through fat nicely. Pizza is usually a good call, as is pesto-parmesan pasta or, on the sweeter side, an apricot or pear tart. Cheers!

In 2007, Fordham Brewing Company formed an alliance with Old Dominion Brewing Company, and in 2009 the two breweries joined their operations and became a unified company under the name Fordham & Dominion Brewing Company at their location in Dover, DE, while maintaining separate brand line-ups. Both breweries have an interesting history.

In 1703, England’s Queen Anne commissioned Benjamin Fordham to begin a brewery in America, in her namesake city of Annapolis, MD. Sadly, when he passed away in 1716 the brewery was shut down. The Fordham name was resurrected in 1995 with the establishment of a new brewery by William Muehlhauser and Jim Lutz. After five years of strong growth, they moved to a larger facility in Alexandria, VA, and three years later they had outgrown that building too. Fordham’s brewing and bottling operations moved to their current facility in Dover, DE in 2003 and a few years later they joined forces with Old Dominion.

Old Dominion was founded by Jerry Bailey in 1989 as a brewpub in Ashburn, VA, but soon expanded into a full-fledged production brewery to serve nearby restaurants, pubs, and supermarkets. In the years since, the brewery has been well-recognized in the industry for their excellence, bringing home over a dozen medals from the Great American Beer Festival, as well as being ranked one of the country’s 20 best breweries by Gourmet Food and Wine magazine. After outgrowing their location in Virginia, the brewery was moved to Dover, DE, where they ultimately teamed up with Fordham.

For more information about the unified breweries, their tasting room, events, and scheduled tours, call 302-678-4810 or check out their web site at www.fordhamanddominion.com.